Exhaust Gas-Discharging Device of Vehicle

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an exhaust gas-discharging device for exhausting the burned gas utilized in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle for exhausting the burned gas to a muffler tail pipe, provided in an exhaust gas-discharging path of a vehicle, using airflow to improve fuel efficiency and torque of the vehicle. The exhaust gas-discharging device includes first and second fixed vanes ( 30  and  40 ), which are formed in the form of streamline shapes by cutting a side of a tail pipe ( 20 ) formed at the rear end of a muffler ( 10 ), provided on an exhaust gas-discharging path through which exhaust gas discharged from an engine of a vehicle passes, and which the same are bent inward, and spaced apart from each other to face each other, and a circulation exhaust gas-discharging device ( 50 ) having a pipe body ( 52 ) welded to the tail pipe and communicated with the first and second fixed vanes ( 30  and  40 ) to seal the first and second fixed vanes ( 30  and  40 ) from ambient air.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an exhaust gas-discharging device for exhausting the burned gas utilized in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle for exhausting the burned gas to a muffler tail pipe, provided in an exhaust gas-discharging path of a vehicle, using airflow to improve fuel efficiency and torque of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND ART

As widely known, a vehicle using an internal combustion engine obtains a driving power through the four-stroke cycle consisting of the intake stroke, the compression stroke, the combustion stroke, and the exhaust stroke.

In view of air stream during the strokes (the intake stroke and the exhaust stroke) of the engine, air is introduced into the internal combustion engine without a relative large resistance when passing through an air cleaner, a throttle valve, and the like during the suction stroke.

However, during the exhaust stroke, since the burned gas is exhausted to the tail pipe through an air cleaner using a catalyzer and a muffler, a relative large resistance occurs in a stream of the burned gas.

During the exhaust from cylinders of the internal combustion engine to the tail pipe, in an exhaust manifold, a phenomenon that an intake valve and an exhaust valve are instantly opened at a same time during the four strokes of the internal combustion engine, that is, there is a moment when a so called valve overlap occurs. During this process, there occurs a phenomenon that the exhaust gas is re-introduced into the cylinders so that the exhaust manifold is instantly vacuumized, resulting in creating a primary exhaust pressure to disturb the exhaust of the exhaust gas.

Moreover, in a three-way catalytic converter used as the air cleaner, the flow rate of the exhaust gas is so remarkably reduced that a secondary exhaust pressure is generated when the exhaust gas passes through fine holes of a HoneyCom style exhaust gas cleaner, and the exhaust gas is introduced into the muffler to generate a third exhaust pressure when exhaust gas passes through partitions for partitioning the muffler into multiple spaces so that sound is absorbed by the muffler.

Since the exhaust gas is exhausted at a pressure of 3 to 5 kg/cm and at about 600 degrees centigrade during this exhaust process, the muffler is essential. The muffler is designed to have fifteen to twenty times the volume of an engine. Since the exhaust gas cannot be exhausted through the muffler due to air resistance, the torque of the engine is reduced by 5 to 10 percent.

Thus, it can be understood that the torque and the fuel efficiency of the engine can be improved simply by exhausting the exhaust gas more effectively.

In order to exhaust the exhaust gas more effectively, various approaches have been proposed.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-56951 proposes an exhaust vessel of a vehicle using an air stream, generated when the vehicle is traveling. In the exhaust vessel, a streamline body of the exhaust vessel is coupled with the tail pipe such that there is formed a lower pressure region by air stream rapidly passing through the streamline body and the exhaust gas is rapidly suctioned into the exhaust vessel to help the exhaust of the exhaust gas due to the lower pressure.

However, the conventional exhaust vessel of a vehicle is too large and complex to install the streamline body on the vehicle. Moreover, since it cannot create the air stream when a vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed, narrow exhaust passages instead disturbs the exhaust of the exhaust gas. Thus, it is difficult to put the conventional exhaust vessel to practical use.

According to a tail pipe of a main silencer having a vortex generator disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 1998-75223, vortex blades are provided in the mid section of the tail pipe to be rotated by the exhaust gas such that the vortex blades are rotated by the exhaust gas to generate the vortex and exhaust the exhaust gas. However, it is difficult to actually use this structure because this structure instead causes resistance and disturbs the stream of the exhaust gas.

According to an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle disclosed in Korean Registered Utility Model No. 99434, a pipe is provided to be attached to an end of a tail pipe by screws and a plurality of blades for generating vortex are formed in the inner circumference of the pipe in the radial direction such that the exhaust gas is converted into vortex to improve exhaust efficiency. However, the structure of forming the exhaust gas into a vortex is not sufficient to rapidly and smoothly exhaust the exhaust gas, its effect being insignificant and only partially helping to form the exhaust vortex in addition to the natural exhaust due to the exhaust pressure, and thus the efficiency is very low.

Moreover, according to an exhaust gas-discharging device using vortex disclosed in Korean Patent No. 257874, a vortex generating duct is provided in a front pipe of a muffler installed on the exhaust gas path and includes a vane for introducing external air and forming a vortex, and a sub-duct includes a valve of which an opening degree is adjusted in proportion to an opening degree of a throttle valve.

However, since the duct through which the external air is introduced is installed in the front pipe of the muffler for eliminating exhaust noise, the exhaust noise escapes to the duct so that noise is louder. The valve is opened widely when accelerating so that the exhaust noise is louder. Moreover, since the exhaust gas is exhausted to the sub-duct having lower air resistance than that of the inside of the muffler, the introduced air meets resistance so that it is difficult to put the exhaust gas-discharging device to practical use.

According to the conventional exhaust gas-discharging device, since the external air is introduced into an inlet of the muffler, air resistance remains in the muffler this effect being not useful to rapidly exhaust the exhaust gas. Since an external air adjusting damper operated in association with the throttle valve of the engine is provided, its structure and its equipment for manufacturing the same are complex. Since the external air is introduced and passes through the muffler, foreign matter contained in the external air such as dust, sand, or the like is accumulated in the muffler, and performance of the muffler is deteriorated.

This applicant of the present invention has filed Korean Patent Application No. 2002-13963 and Korean Utility Model Application No. 287763 for an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).

All the former patent applications and the latter utility model applications disclose a muffler of a vehicle in which the external air generated when the vehicle is traveling is concentrated by a horn-like pipe to increase exhaust pressure of an exhaust tail pipe such that flow rate is increased.

In other words, the external air is concentrated to increase pressure* of air passing through a small cross-section so that the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe is rapidly exhausted.

These conventional devices have some advantage of increasing flow rate of the exhaust gas to improve torque and fuel efficiency, however the effect is negligible when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed.

Moreover, as disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2004-13721, this applicant has proposed that two fixed vanes are cut away from a bent inward a side of a tail pipe and are spaced apart from each other such that a fast exhaust gas stream is generated, and the external air re-introduced during the valve overlap is discharged to the vanes to increase torque of an engine.

The present invention is proposed to improve the device disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2004-13721 and to obtain improved effect.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems and of improving the related devices filed by this applicant of the present invention and their efficiency, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle in which exhaust gas exhausted through a tail pipe of the muffler generates a jet stream, exhaust speed of the exhaust gas is increased using a venturi phenomenon and the introduced external air is circulated and discharged to increase the exhaust speed so that the exhaust gas is rapidly exhausted.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle for rapidly exhausting exhaust gas and discharging re-introduced exhaust gas to the mid section of a tail pipe so that the valve overlap, which causes the exhaust gas to be reintroduced into an engine, is prevented and torque of the engine is increased.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle having a strong structure to remarkably increase endurance and having an excellent compatibility when applied to an engine without changing the structure of a conventional muffler.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle for significantly reducing re-introduction of exhaust gas to preventing burned matter such as carbon from being accumulated therein so that a lifespan of an engine is prolonged and various components of the exhaust system such as a high price exhaust gas purifier can be maintained clean.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle including: first and second fixed vanes, which are formed in the form of streamline shapes by cutting a side of a tail pipe, provided on an exhaust gas-discharging path of a muffler through which exhaust gas discharged from an engine of a vehicle passes, and which the same are bent inward, and are spaced apart from each other to face each other; and a circulation exhaust gas-discharging device having a pipe body welded to the tail pipe and communicated with the first and second fixed vanes to seal the first and second fixed vanes from ambient air.

Advantageous Effects

As described above, according to the exhaust gas-discharging device of the present invention, since the exhaust speed of the exhaust gas, discharged through a tail pipe of a muffler through which the exhaust gas is discharged, is increased together with the external air being rapidly introduced such that the exhaust gas is rapidly exhausted so that the vehicle is effectively accelerated and the hill climbing ability of the vehicle is also increased. Since the exhaust gas is rapidly is exhausted and the introduced external air is circulated at the mid section of the tail pipe and discharged out, the valve overlap, which causes the exhaust gas to be reintroduced into an engine, is prevented and torque of the engine is increased. The structure is simple and strong, the endurance thereof is remarkably increased and it is capable of being applied to a vehicle without a structural change of the conventional muffler so that the compatibility is excellent. In addition, it prevents the exhaust gas and pollutants such as carbon from being reintroduced so that a lifespan of the engine is prolonged and various components such as an exhaust gas purifier of the exhaust system are maintained clean and their lifespan is also prolonged.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle, those skilled in the art can understand that the exhaust gas-discharging device of the present invention can be applied to any muffler of an internal combustion engine and modifications are very easy within the scope of the present invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle as a conventional art filed by this inventor of this application;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle according to a basic preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle according to the basic preferred embodiment of the present invention includes first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40, which are formed in the form of streamline shapes by cutting a side of a tail pipe 20 formed at the rear end of a conventional muffler 10, provided on an exhaust gas-discharging path through which exhaust gas discharged from an engine of a vehicle passes, and which the same are bent inward, and are spaced apart from each other to face each other, and a circulation exhaust gas-discharging device 50 having a pipe body 52 welded to the tail pipe and communicated with the first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 to seal the first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 from external air.

The first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40, which are cut away and bent inward, have a maximum bending angle of 45 degrees and have bent ends extended to the center line of the tail pipe 20 respectively.

Operation of the exhaust gas-discharging device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

When the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device 50 is applied to the tail pipe 20, the exhaust gas exhausted through usual process when an engine is started enters the muffler 10 and is discharged out after noise is absorbed in an expansion room of the muffler.

According to operation of former Korean Patent Application filed by this applicant of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust gas flows down due to the bent surface of the first fixed vane 30 and rapidly passes through a narrow cross section due to the venturi phenomenon. The exhaust gas collides with the bent surface of the second fixed vane 40 to flow up and a jet stream is generated due to the flow rate of the exhaust gas. At that time, the external air is introduced through an opening of the second fixed vane 40 into a high-pressure side of an internal stream so that the introduced external air is accelerated to implement fast exhaust.

At that time, at an opening of the first fixed vane 30, pressure is dropped and a backflow caused by a backflow phenomenon of the exhaust gas generated during the valve overlap of the engine is discharged to the atmosphere through the opening of the first fixed vane 30 so that the backflow of the exhaust gas is removed to prevent the backflow from disturbing the exhaust performance of the exhaust system through the muffler.

As described above, the exhaust gas passing through the tail pipe 20 passes through the first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 whose diameters become narrow and its flow rate becomes rapidly faster due to the venturi phenomenon, simultaneously, the stream of the exhaust gas forms a jet stream and is accelerated so that the exhaust gas is rapidly exhausted. During the valve overlap of the engine occurred repeatedly in a very short time, since the backflow is discharged to the opening as a lower pressure region of the first fixed vane 30, a region from an exhaust manifold to the muffler is instantly under a negative pressure so that fuel intake is not disturbed.

Here, in the present invention, due to the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device 50 for communicating the first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 with each other and covering the tail pipe 20 to be sealed from the external air, the stream of the exhaust gas is increased and accelerated backward.

In other words, since the second fixed vane 40 is closer to the atmosphere than the first fixed vane 30 positioned at the inner side of the tail pipe 20 through which the exhaust gas is discharged, and since the outer circumference of a pipe body in which the first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 are formed is sealed from the atmosphere by the pipe body 52 of the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device, the exhaust gas flows in the opposite direction as disclosed in the above-described Korean Patent Application.

Thus, the acceleration of the stream of the exhaust gas is identical to that of the above-described Korean Patent Application, however the introduction of the external air and the stream of the exhaust gas during the valve overlap of the engine are reversed. The introduction of the external air is carried out through the second fixed vane 40, and the introduced external air passes through the first fixed vane 30 due to the lower pressure region generated by the venturi phenomenon and serves to accelerate the exhaust speed of the exhaust gas.

Accordingly, since there occurs the push-and-pull reaction that the external air is introduced due to the lower pressure of the first fixed vane 30 so that a high-pressure stream introduced toward the second fixed vane 40 is accelerated toward the first fixed vane and is discharged out, the exhaust gas is exhausted more rapidly than that disclosed in the above-described Korean Patent Application.

Therefore, the exhaust gas is exhausted more rapidly through the muffler through which the exhaust gas is discharged. Simultaneously, during the valve overlap of the engine, the backflow of the exhaust gas is introduced and discharged in the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device 50 and is directly discharged out of the tail pipe so that the backflow does not disturb the stream of the exhaust gas. Since the exhaust gas is smoothly discharged, the torque of the engine is increased and fuel is also saved. Moreover, foreign matter generated during the combustion of the fuel that remains in the exhaust system is effectively discharged so that high price components of the exhaust system are protected and their life spans are prolonged.

Mode for the Invention

The exhaust gas-discharging device structured as described above may be modified as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 3, an exhaust gas-discharging device includes a plurality of tail pipes, in which circulation exhaust gas-discharging devices 50 respectively include a tail pipe 20 in which the above-described first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 are formed and the pipe body 52 for surrounding the fixed vanes 30 and 40 and are connected to the exhaust side of the muffler in parallel relation with each other. Thus, the cross section of the exhaust gas-discharging device is increased such that the exhaust gas is smoothly discharged and the external appearance of the exhaust gas-discharging device can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 4, an exhaust gas-discharging device includes a circulation exhaust gas-discharging device 50 including a tail pipe 20, in which first and second fixed vanes 30 and 40 are formed, and a pipe body 52 for surrounding the fixed vanes 30 and 40, and coupled with the exhaust side of the muffler 10 by a clamp 54. The exhaust gas-discharging device is easily coupled to the end of a conventional exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle.

According to the test of the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device of the present invention applied to a vehicle, when a pressure gauge is installed in the outlet of an exhaust manifold of a vehicle having a volume of an engine about 1500 cc and an exhaust pressure is measured, maximum exhaust pressure of 0.5 KPs is measured at about 2,500 RPM. Meanwhile, when the identical test has been performed without applying the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device, the maximum exhaust pressure is measured as 1 KPs. Thus, the maximum exhaust pressure when applying the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device of the present invention is decreased by one half, so it is confirmed that the exhaust gas has been effectively discharged.

The circulation exhaust gas-discharging device of the present invention may be structured such that the pipe body is banded or welded to communicate the first and second fixed vanes with each other. The internal volume of the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device is not significantly taken into consideration, but is enough to communicate the two fixed vanes with each other, resulting in making an air stream. 

1. An exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle comprising: first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40), which are formed in the form of streamline shapes by cutting a side of a tail pipe (20), provided on an exhaust gas-discharging path of a muffler (10) through which exhaust gas discharged from an engine of a vehicle passes, and which the same are bent inward, and are spaced apart from each other to face each other; and a circulation exhaust gas-discharging device (50) having a pipe body (52) welded to the tail pipe and communicated with the first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40) to seal the first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40) from ambient air.
 2. The exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of tail pipes, in which circulation exhaust gas-discharging devices (50) respectively include a tail pipe (20) in which first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40) are formed and a pipe body (52) for surrounding the first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40) and connected to the exhaust side of a muffler in parallel relation with each other.
 3. The exhaust gas-discharging device of a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the circulation exhaust gas-discharging device (50) includes the tail pipe (20), in which first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40) are formed, and the pipe body (52) for surrounding the first and second fixed vanes (30 and 40), and is coupled with the exhaust side of a muffler (10) by a clamp (54). 